Recent Favourites

Hey guys!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, college and work have become me.

But here I am again with a post that's just an excuse for me to brag about all the nice things I've bought lately.

First off, I got carried away. I've been very, shall we say, easy on myself regarding spending money. Money I don't have, by the way. But sure, due to the rule of YOLO I feel as though I've earned it.

But let me remind you that I am very forgiving when it comes to money. I almost applied for a bank overdraft recently so I could get something I saw on the teleshopping ads. No joke, it was a steam cleaner or something. The ad was very convincing all together.

 

Above are the treats that I bought myself today. From left to right: 17 'VA VA VOOM' mascara, Kate Moss pink lipstick (shade 20), Rimmel orange lipstick (shade 660), Black baseball cap from Bershka (€2.99 - BARGAIN) and gold chain hoop earrings from Bershka also (€1.99 - OTHER BARGAIN)

 

 

I got this bad boy in Penneys for a stunning price of €3. Where else would you be going???

 

 

This cute phone sticker was £1.99 in H&M. I got it when I was in London but as far as I remember, they're only about €2.99 or something in H&M over here. Not sure if this exact one is here though....

 

 

 

This little phone & money case was an amazing buy from Topshop. It was €21 full price, I think, and then it went down to €4 in the sale, and then when the girl scanned it into the till for me to pay for it, it went in at €1. Then she asked me do I have my student card. Well. This adorable piece came home with me for a tasty price of €0.90. I know. I know.

This full length kimono is from H&M in London too and it was only £5.99. Yummmmmmy. I haven't taken the tags off yet because I haven't got anything to wear it with but just know that once I do, there'll be no stopping me.

That's most of the stuff I've picked up recently, there is some more so I might do another favourites post in the near future. The majority of these pieces were on sale so individually, they were cheap but all together it adds up.

This ought to tide my shopping addiction over for a while.

You'll see me one day on "Ireland's Most Wanted" running naked through the handbag section of Brown Thomas because I've spent my Michael Kors saving fund on something stupid by mistake.

Love always,
Luisa x

Parfois is Heaven

The new shop on Mary's Street/Henry Street in Dublin called 'Parfois' is amazing.

My friend Aoife & I went for coffee this evening and we strolled through town afterwards. I had no interest in going in to Parfois because I had my eye on something in Forever 21. She dragged me in and my God am I happy she did.

I happened to go in during the sale and what a wonderful sale it is by the way.

In general, everything is gorgeous. There are walls of jewellery and shelves full of handbags. As well as all that, there are sunglasses, scarves, gloves, watches and purses. About 80% of the shop is on sale now and I almost got dangerously out of control. I am so glad that my bank account doesn't let me go into negative digits...

I decided I would treat myself to something because, well, I deserve it. Kind of...

Look at what I got:

These gorgeous rings are usually €14.90 and I got them for €7.45!!! Everyone Woop with me!!

I'm so happy with them. I usually never wear silver jewellery but I simply had to when I saw these. I think they'll look gorgeous when I get a tan (via Sally Hansen) and have my nails painted all pretty.

Speaking of which, my cousin Lynn gave me a bunch of shellac nail polishes and a UV lamp so my nails are going to be perfectly manicured for ever now. Thanks Lynn :)

Back to Parfois, the staff were really nice and the sale was so good. The layout of the shop is so nice too. Its really organised so you can literally stand in one place and look around and see everything. The colours were mainly browns and pastel pinks, which I love for Spring/Summer.

There were gorgeous clutch handbags for less than €20. If you're looking for a present for any women in your life, check out Parfois. You can definitely pick up a gorgeous piece for less than €20 even not in the sale.

I recommend all of you ladies take a trip in to this shop if you're in need of a treat. The lovely girl who served me tonight was saying that the sale should be ending quite soon so check it out as soon as possible.

The only shop I can kind of equate this one to would be the likes of Accessorize, but cheaper and I think better.

The bags were really lovely as well. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take a photo of any of them but they were gorgeous. A lot of the clutches had chain straps on them which I love. And there were totes that were beautiful too. A lot of brown leather which is always a winner and timeless in your wardrobe. I think everyone needs a good brown leather bag.

I think I may have to take another trip into Parfois as soon as I get paid...
Someone stop me. Please.

Love always,
Luisa x

Hooray for Nivea!!

If your skin is feeling dry and dull after the frosty Winter, then Nivea is the answer.

I've always been a fan of everything Nivea; moisturisers, lip butters, shower stuff. But this time, they've released something unique. Well as far as I know it is unique...

An in-shower body moisturiser. It's almost like a conditioner for your body. Here's what the bottle looks like:

 

There are 2 types: one for dry skin and one for normal skin. My skin is dry so I got the dry skin one.

If I'm completely honest, I only bought it because it was on sale in Tesco (cheap student remember?) but I was quite impressed. The consistency is quite runny but once you put enough on, it feels good.

You wash yourself as per usual, I exfoliate in every shower I have using my sexy exfoliation gloves. Then, while still in the shower, you put this stuff all over. It doesn't say about putting it on your face but I have sensitive skin so I didn't chance it.

I also left it on for a little while in the shower for that extra smooth you know? Then you simply rinse it off and BOOM, softish skin.

I know, bit of an anti-climax.

Softish isn't exactly going to make you run out and buy a bottle. But the truth is, it is good, the idea is good but it doesn't really make an exceptional difference. It does however feel good if you exfoliate loads, put it on, rinse it off & then use a really thick moisturiser straight afterwards.

OR if you shave with it. Leaves your legs feeling lovely!

Don't get me wrong, it's really nice. But I'm not sure if I'll be buying it again. Maybe if it goes back on sale......

I would recommend you to give it a go, but don't go expecting so much. If it was thicker, I'd buy all of them and there would be none left and I would be the softest skinned lady in the world.

But for now, I'll keep using it and then when it runs out I'll know if my skin feels different without it. I'll keep you guys posted.

On a separate but still relevant note, this lip butter is THE BEST THING EVER. Seriously try it. If your lips are dry & chapped, get this. Don't think about it, just do it. You will not regret it. It was something ridiculously cheap like €3.50 in Boots and I haven't looked back.

Stay moisturised!!
Love always,
Luisa x

Review of H&M Cosmetic Products

Today's blog is one that I hope will change the future of make-up and make-up brushes.

H&M have been holding out on us ladies.

The sneaky buggers in H&M never told us how good their cosmetics were! I've always been a fan of their moisturisers, not because they're exceptionally good but because the packaging has always been so pretty. You know what I'm talking about, the gold flippy lids and the green zebra print... A nice addition to any bedroom shelf.

But for real, I've began to try out their make-up brushes and their highlighter. Well, to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.

The flat-top foundation brush was an investment and a half. Here it is:

It's supposed to be a BB Cream brush, but I was going to buy a similar, more expensive one and I stumbled across this for €6.95 I think? I just said I would try it before I go spending top dollah.
It really is very good! The length of the bristles are short so the brush is firm. It works really well if you dab the make-up onto your face. I recommended this to one of my best friends in college and she bought one and was delighted with it also.

Another brush I have is the double sided eye shadow brush. Wow. Just. Wow. Look:

One end is an angled brush for a defined brow or for liquid/gel liner. It works really well as the hairs don't fray over time. The pencil shaped end is my boo. I use it for eye definition i.e. under eye blending and outer corner blending. It can be used softly or to create a more dramatic look. This baby set me back a mere €3.95. That's a steal!! Verrrrrry happy.

Another amazing creation from the clevers in H&M is their facial highlighter. Yum yum yum. It's pink and shiny and soft and pretty and perfect. It's great when you use a big powder brush because it is quite pigmented and dense but it's just great. Here's a terrible photo of it:

It's looking like it's seen better days simply because my make-up bag is in a hoop. But honestly, for €3.95, I would definitely recommend it and I will be buying it again. The one thing I will say that can be annoying, the ONE thing; it kind of falls onto the rest of your face if you're not careful. But cleaning up is simples, just a bit of tissue and all is well in the world again.

Seriously try these products before you go spending top money! If you buy them and you're not happy, I'll pay you back for them! ............if you can find me lololololololol. Seriously, just give them shot!

You won't regret it huns.

Love always,
Luisa x

Review of Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo & Conditioner

 

These bad boys are worth an entire blog post.

 

Dove have outdone themselves. Their range for damaged hair is literally the best thing ever. EVER.

 

I already posted these on my Instagram (luisafus - follow me) because they're just so perfect. They leave your hair smelling so fresh and so feckin' soft. It even passed the boyfriend test!

 

If you've not heard of the boyfriend test allow me to explain it, essentially it's when you ask your boyfriend a question while they're doing something that has their full attention. This way they'll give you their honest opinion just to get you out of their face. My boyfriend reacted more positive than usual when presented with a handful of my glorious smelling hair.

 

The shampoo lathers perfectly in the shower and even before you use the conditioner, your hair feels great! When I use the conditioner I tend to leave it in for a little while because my hair is extra dead.

 

But seriously, before you go under the scissors in the dreaded hairdressers, try this range.

 

Head into Boots, use your Christmas vouchers & your student discount and get both the shampoo and conditioner for less than seven or eight euro.

 

Trust me, I'm a cheap student. I'm always searching for ways to be cheaper.

 

Love always,

Luisa x 

 

Blog Post Numero Uno

If you're reading this you've probably been forced to (more than likely by myself) or else you've stumbled across my beautiful blog by chance. Either way, I welcome you!

My name is Luisa, I'm part Italian, I adore pasta, lipstick & cats.

I'm studying to be a journalist & I'm a wannabe blogger.

Something about this makes me feel like I'm in an AA meeting...

I started this blog after much encouragement from my friends and my amazing boyfriend. I want to use it to review stuff and to get people to try other things! There are other brands of make up apart from The Almighty MAC. Don't get me wrong, MAC is God, I love me a good Viva Glam, but Rimmel have some undiscovered gems too!

I'm often out shopping or browsing and I'll find something that's too good to keep to myself. Now I have Stick Lips and hopefully you'll feel like you have Stick Lips too.

Stay tuned for some handy reviews and some honest opinions.

Love always,
Luisa x

My gorgeous friend Aoife & I when we were in Portugal last summer